The present invention relates to undersea connectors and specifically to apparatus for equalizing the pressure between an interior chamber of the connector and the outside environment in which the connector is placed.
The inaccessibility and expense of changing or repairing deep ocean electrical connectors has mandated that such connectors be extremely reliable even though operating in a hostile deep ocean salt water environment with cathodic corrosive effects and extreme pressures.
Connectors used in deep ocean environments often include an interior closed chamber filled with non-conductive fluid wherein connection of individual wires in a cable are made either to a male or female connector insert. The connector end of the insert extends from the interior chamber of the connector assembly and is available for connection to a cooperating connector assembly. It is recognized that if the pressure in the interior chamber fluid is equalized with the pressure of the environment in which the connector is placed, the chances of failure of the connector due to pressure differentials will be greatly reduced.
Heretofore, various mechanisms have been used to achieve such pressure equalization. For example, in some connectors the interior chamber is pre-pressurized to a pressure which approximates the pressure of the environment in which the connector will actually be used. However, large pressure differentials will still exist when the connector is not: in its operating environment such as before installation. Plungers and various other complex mechanical mechanisms have also been used to enable pressure of the interior chamber to be continuously varied to match the external pressure of the environment. However, the complexity and expense of such mechanisms have limited their applicability to only the largest connector assemblies and even then only where the added expense could be justified. Consequently pressure equalization mechanisms for small sized, deep ocean connectors or less expensive connectors have not heretofore been possible.
The present invention solves this problem by providing a pressure compensation mechanism for use particularly in deep sea connector assemblies which allow the interior chamber of the connector to always be at the same pressure as the external environment while still maintaining the integrity of the non-electrically conducting fluid in the interior of the chamber.